The good is close at hand
A charity address, a prize-winning poem, an award-winning dance and one very small dog — our whole-school assembly found the same idea in eight different places.
Virginia Petrou didn't set out to write the theme of an assembly. She set out to write a poem.
But when the Year 11 student stood at the lectern and read Just Like That to the whole College — a poem about breath returning, fog lifting, a smile finding its way back to someone's eyes — she landed on the line that everything else that morning had been circling.
And I can finally see that the good is close at hand.
That was the brief English gave its entrants for the 2026 SFX Poet Laureate competition, and the faculty was inundated with responses. Ms Darley told the assembly that choosing a winner was genuinely difficult. What made Virginia's poem the one was its refusal to pretend the hard part didn't happen. The relief in it is earned.
Looking outward
The morning had opened somewhere heavier. Ms Alison Burr, Partnerships and Events Manager at Karinya House, spoke to students about the women and children her organisation walks beside — pregnant women and new mothers in our own city who need safe accommodation, support and a way through. Karinya House is the charity supported by Koorilla, and Alison's message was disarmingly practical: generosity doesn't have to be grand to matter.
Our Senior Leadership Team will take that literally next month, joining hundreds of Canberrans on the Karinya House Walk for Hope around Lake Burley Griffin on Sunday 13 September. Students can get behind them by donating through the College's mycause page — and by turning up to the Pink Bake Sale in the Hub at recess and lunch on Tuesday 25 August, held in honour of those in our community affected by domestic violence. Bring something pink to sell or bring $2 to buy something. Both count.
Roots, fire and rain
If Virginia's poem said it in words, our dancers said it in movement.
Fresh from Wakakirri at the Canberra Theatre Centre, the SFX dance ensemble performed Roots of Us live for the College. The piece argues that people, like plants, need care and connection to survive — and it doesn't flinch from what happens when they don't get it. Roots, fire and rain move through destruction into resilience and finally renewal.
The judges noticed. Roots of Us came home with five awards: Storytelling for a Great Story, for Story Construction and Clarity, for Story Theme and Concept, for a Great Minimalist Production Style, and a Lead Cast Award for Performance in Dance.
The Visual Art department got there first, as it happens. Back in May, during Mental Health Awareness month, Ms Harris and her team asked students to put resilience, mindfulness and staying grounded onto a page. Arts Captain Jasmine joined Ms Harris on stage to name the winners: Victoria Lackey (first) and Rohi Bharat (second) in the junior division, Grace Glasson (first) and Grace Fryer (second) in the senior.
Three art forms. One idea. Nobody planned it that way.
Four steps and a KitKat
Aseem and Sophie from Year 8 turned the idea into something with a date on it.
R U OK? Day falls on Thursday 10 September, and their pitch to the assembly was refreshingly free of pressure. You don't need to be an expert, they said. You need to notice when a friend seems a bit off, and care enough to ask. Ask, listen, encourage action, check in again later — that's the whole method.
The part that made the room laugh was the delivery mechanism. The Year 8 SRC will be selling KitKats in the Hub for $3 on the day. Buy one, break off a finger, hand it over, and you've got your opening line. Have a break, have a ChitChat.
As Aseem put it: sometimes the people who seem the most okay are the ones who need someone to ask the most.
The newest member of staff
Then Bella and Jasmine introduced Monty, and the assembly briefly lost all composure.
Our school dog has been on campus a few weeks, and a video of his first days drew the loudest response of the morning. Beneath the delight there's a serious case for him: school dogs are shown to calm classrooms, lower stress and build confidence, particularly for students who find learning daunting. Caring for Monty also asks something of the students — attentiveness, gentleness, respect for another creature's limits.
Which is the point, really. Three rules apply: ask before you pat him, don't feed him, and handle him gently. He's still a little guy.
Shakespeare, but make it reality TV
Not everything on Tuesday was earnest. Cast members arrived to announce this year's College Play, and their opening question — what if Shakespeare wrote an episode of The Bachelorette? — is a fair summary of what's coming.
Much Ado About Nothing: Villa Edition relocates Shakespeare's romantic comedy to a reality dating show called The Villa, complete with confessionals, producer manipulation, livestream comments and hashtags. Hero and Claudio fall in love almost immediately. Bea and Ben spend the entire play insisting they absolutely do not like each other. Everyone else makes it worse.
The cast and crew span Years 7 to 12. Performances run 9 to 12 September in the SFX Theatre, with tickets available now through TryBooking.
And the Cup goes to…
Captains Tom and Giselle closed the morning with the Term 2 house point results — points earned, as always, for kindness, respect, responsibility and volunteering.
Congratulations to Daniel Makuwira of Year 8, our Term 2 individual House Point winner, who collected the trophy and a $50 Westfield voucher.
And congratulations to Pindari, who took the Term 2 House Cup with 210 points, ahead of Koorilla (176), Irin-Irin (170), Dullugal (153) and Gariwang (151).
Ms Ayton closed the assembly with Monty at her side, thanking Alison Burr, our presenters and our student leaders.
